Love is a Garden
by SuperOreoMan
Summary: Written for IBF! Week, Cabbage Mersa. After Ursa is banished from the Fire Nation, she flees to the Earth Kingdom. As she tries to get over the loss of her family and make a new life for herself there, she meets a charming young man who wants to help.


**This is an InspiredByFyre! story, for IBF! week. Unfortunately, I didn't get it out in time :(**

**Anyway, I decided to take on the Cabbage Mersa idea (Cabbage Man/Ursa). Yeah. That's right. And guess what? **_**IT'S NOT A COMEDY. IT'S TOTALLY SERIOUS. **_**Whaaaaat? How does that even **_**work? **_**Well, I guess you'll find out! It's only going to be a few chapters long, but I hope you enjoy it!**

**And be warned, Cabbage Man does not appear in this chapter.**

**I don't own Avatar.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"I know! Maybe you could find a nice <em>earth kingdom <em>family to adopt you!"

Ursa paused as she heard her daughter's mocking voice floating through the hallways. It was coming from Zuko's room.

"What is that girl up to _now_?" she breathed with a sigh.

"Stop it!" Zuko shouted, causing his mother to quicken her step. "You're _lying_! Dad would neverdo that to me."

"Your father would never do _what _to you?" Ursa demanded as she stepped into Zuko's room. She narrowed her eyes at her daughter, who was smirking at the end of Zuko's bed. "What is going on here?"

"I don't know," Azula replied innocently.

"It's time for a talk," Ursa said, grabbing Azula and pulling her from the room.

When they were far enough away that Zuko wouldn't overhear, she rounded on her daughter, placing her hands on her hips and staring sternly down at her.

"_What_?" Azula exclaimed rudely, crossing her arms and glaring up at her mother.

"Don't use that tone of voice with _me, _young lady," Ursa scolded, relieved when Azula seemed to cool down and show some remorse. "Now what did you tell Zuko?"

"What do you mean?" she replied, not meeting her mother's eyes.

"He was very upset. What did you say to him?"

"Well," Azula began guiltily, "I was just telling him what Grandpa said to Dad…"

"What?" Ursa said sharply.

"I stayed to listen to Grandpa when he told everyone but Dad to leave," she admitted slowly.

"Azula!"

"I just wanted to know what he was going to say!"

"And what was that?"

"Grandpa said that Dad had to kill Zuko."

Ursa froze. That couldn't be right. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Azula muttered. She peeked up at her mother, suddenly alarmed at her expressionless face. "He won't, will he? Grandpa was just kidding, or saying that to scare Dad, right?"

"Zuko will be fine," Ursa promised. "Now go to bed. It's late."

"Okay," Azula gave in, still looking worried.

Ursa watched her scurry into her bedroom, waiting for her to close the door before rushing into her own chambers. Ozai wasn't there yet, so Ursa sat down on the edge of their bed, anxiously waiting for him to return.

Finally, she heard slow footsteps nearing the room, recognizing the steady, confident gait of her husband.

"What did the Fire Lord say to you?" Ursa demanded the moment Ozai opened the door, standing up to confront him.

"What?" he replied, surprised.

"What did he say to you after we left?" she repeated, her arms crossed.

Ozai was at a loss for words, but the guilt that shrouded his face made her blanch.

"What _happened_?" she pressed, her voice trembling as she strained to remain calm.

"My father told me I must kill—that I must kill Zuko," Ozai's voice fell to a whisper. He stared at the ground with his back facing Ursa.

"You can't!" Ursa exclaimed, flustered. "He's our son!"

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, whirling to face his wife. His face grew grim, and he sat down with his head in his hands. Ursa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have said anything. This is all my fault!"

"What do you mean?" Ursa pressed, her suspicions growing as Ozai peered up at her with an excruciating expression of guilt. "Ozai, what have you done?"

"I just—I suggested that maybe I should become Firelord instead of Iroh," he said in a rush. Ursa's eyes widened, and her hand dropped from his shoulder.

"You did _what? Why?_"

"It was stupid, _stupid,_" he berated himself. "Since we lost Lu Ten, Iroh's been…"

"Different," Ursa supplied quietly.

"Yes," he agreed, "and I just thought that it might be in the Fire Nation's best interests if—"

"If _you _were to become Firelord instead," she finished coldly.

"I just thought—"

"Oh, come on, Ozai!" Ursa interjected angrily. "All you 'just thought' about was the power you could have as Fire Lord! Since before we were _married_ you've envied Iroh for being the eldest son, and with each passing day you just become more power-hungry!"

Ozai looked as though he would object, but Ursa continued without a pause.

"And now look at your children. They hardly see you, they barely _know_ you, and can you even remember the last time you actually spent _time _with them? Azula is becoming…I don't know, out of control, and Ozai, it's scaring me. She's become manipulative, she lies, she doesn't obey—it's like she gets more rebellious each day, and there's nothing I can do about it. But she absolutely _adores _you, and you can't even bother to show her any kind of affection back! And then _Zuko_ is being abused by his sister, neglected by you, and he clings to me like he thinks I can _do _something about it—our whole family is falling to pieces, and I can't help but think…"

She couldn't finish. She glanced at her husband, expecting an angry retort.

Ozai just stared at her, his face clouded in sorrow. He knew what she was going to say, and after that summary of their family life, he was inclined to agree.

After a few minutes of silence, with the tension between them so intense that Ursa wondered if Ozai was harnessing his lightning subconsciously, she finally spoke.

"We can't let Zuko die," she stated hollowly.

"I won't kill him," Ozai agreed. "I won't kill my son."

Ursa sat beside her husband, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. The charged tension ebbed, and one of Ozai's arms curled around her waist, pulling her closer and offering solace.

"This feels like the end," Ursa whispered.

"It won't be," he assured her.

She looked at him. "But you can't disobey the Fire Lord."

"Well," he began slowly, "no one else knows…"

"Ozai," she pulled away, her eyes widening. "You aren't suggesting…?"

"What else can we do?" he retorted.

"We could leave," she suggested, knowing even as she said it that it was impossible.

"And risk _all _our lives?" he pointed out. "We'd be fugitives."

_And you would have no chance at becoming Fire Lord, _Ursa thought silently.

"And," he added, lowering his voice, "I've sworn my silence, but my father told me that his health is declining; it has been for a while."

"But he's still—"

"_And,_" he interrupted, "he mentioned my mother. He talked about her in present tense, until I reminded him that she's gone. It's been happening for a few months, but just little things, like asking where something that he's thrown out was, or getting the year mixed up."

"So he won't be fit to rule much longer," she said to herself, as though trying to justify what Ozai had insinuated. "But how would we…do it?"

The 'we' sounded strange on her tongue. It wouldn't be both of them, it would be just one, and Ursa guessed that he knew that, too. They sat in silence, both afraid to say what they were thinking.

"It…it should be me," Ursa finally concluded. "He's your father, and after Iroh you're next in line for the throne, and…"

"Ursa, no," he argued, taking her hand and looking her in the eyes. "You'd have to leave, and our kids need a mother. I haven't really been there for them; I can at least do this."

"No," Ursa disagreed. "It _has_ to be me. If _you_ leave, do you really think they'll leave us unharmed? And he's your _father_."

"Not much of one," he admitted.

"And, you were right—Iroh doesn't have an heir. Even if he becomes Fire Lord, our kids are all that's left of the royal bloodline."

"But—"

"I could use poison," she suggested, ignoring his protests. "Make it look like he died in his sleep."

Ozai stayed silent, and she could see an internal war raging through his eyes.

"Or drug him so he wouldn't wake up when I s-suffocate him," she offered shakily. Even the _idea _of killing someone…

"Ursa, you can't."

"I have to," she whispered. "For the Fire Nation. For our family."

_For Zuko and Azula…_

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><p>Ursa took a shaky breath. The deed was done.<p>

She had slipped some crushed sleeping pills into his drink at dinner that night. For all she knew, the amount alone could have killed him, but she'd snuck into his chambers at midnight to find him alive and breathing. Ursa had tried to suffocate him with his pillow, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

So Ozai had.

She had run, trembling and sobbing, back to their room. She had explained to him that she just couldn't do it, and he had comforted her until she was calm before leaving the room. He'd returned half an hour later, pale and expressionless, and told her that he'd taken care of it.

And now she would take the blame, and be banished from the Fire Nation.

She silently crept into Zuko's room, moving to stand beside his bed. She watched him sleeping, her throat tightening as she saw his beautiful face at rest. Taking a breath, Ursa placed her hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing to wake him up.

"Hmm," he moaned drowsily, before opening his eyes to see her leaning over him. "Mom?

"Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you," she began, pulling her half-asleep son into an embrace. "Remember this Zuko: no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."

His head fell forward and he jerked it upright as he struggled to stay awake. She hated that this was the last time he would see her, but she released him and backed out of the room, fighting back tears. With a sad smile, she gazed at her child for the last time, before pulling her hood over her head and leaving.

As she passed Azula's room, Ursa hesitated. She loved Azula just as much as she loved Zuko, but her children were so different from each other. Zuko needed this last visit, while Azula…

Ursa entered her daughter's room without a sound. As she slept, all of Azula's uncertainties and inner quarrels were apparent when her frown deepened and her brow wrinkled as though focused on a particularly difficult problem. Ursa softly stroked her hair, not for the first time regretting their rather complicated relationship. Maybe if she'd spent more timewith Azula, or if she'd been more lenient, or been more strict…

Azula let out a quiet murmur. Ursa lifted her hand and took a step back, but her daughter didn't wake. This time, as she left the room her tears _did _fall. She didn't try to hold them back anymore; she just let the grief take hold and consume her as she fled her home, her family, her children—her life.

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><p><strong>And that's that.<strong>

**Don't worry; next chapter shall include Cabbage Man.**

**So what did you think? I'd love to know, so please review!**

**Your Pal,**

**SuperOreoMan**


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